The present application relates generally to fasteners for fastening objects to channel beams.
Objects such as brackets, shelves, fixtures, conduits, pipes, wire cabling etc. are commonly fastened to and supported by channel beams such as UNISTRUT-type channel beams. Such channel beams include a base and two sidewalls forming a channel. The ends of the sidewalls have inwardly facing flanges defining a slot, which opens to the channel. An elongated spring nut (which is narrower, but longer than the slot) is used for securing objects to the channel beam. The spring nut is first aligned with and inserted through the slot at a desired location along the length of the channel beam. It is then turned clockwise 90° to a crosswise position with the outside faces of the spring nut engaging the sidewalls defining the channel. Once the spring nut is in this installed position, the object is secured to the spring nut by screwing a threaded fastener through the threaded hole in the spring nut.
The spring nut includes two rounded diagonally opposite corners to enable the 90° clockwise rotation of the spring nut into the installed position. Further clockwise rotation of the spring nut is prevented by the other diagonally opposite corners, which are not rounded and which engage the sidewalls of the channel. Thus as the threaded fastener is screwed clockwise into the spring nut, the spring nut remains stationary in its desired position, enabling the fastener to be secured to the spring nut. However, if there is a need later to remove the object from the channel beam, unscrewing the threaded fastener counterclockwise can result in the spring nut rotating in the counterclockwise direction due to the rounded diagonally opposite corners of the spring nut. This can make it difficult to remove the threaded fastener and can also lead to the spring nut inadvertently falling out of the channel beam.